Baker Without Borders

Layered with a creamy maple syrup custard and crunchy oat, apple, pecan, and cinnamon granola, this parfait is a nice alternative to classic autumn pies, cakes, and other baked goods. It’s served cold (perfect for those occasional autumn heatwaves) and the oven is only involved to bake the granola. I borrowed elements from two different … Continue reading Maple Custard Parfait with Apple Pecan Granola

I’ve been baking Evelyn Raab’s hazelnut truffle squares for years. The gooey, gluten-free brownies, which have finely ground hazelnuts in place of all-purpose flour, are perfect as is, but over time I’ve tried mixing things up, swapping neutral oils for butter and pecans for hazelnuts. This is my favorite variation yet. The combination of toasted … Continue reading Olive Oil and Pecan Brownies

This is an excellent recipe from Yotam Ottolenghi and Helen Goh’s dessert cookbook, Sweet. I made only one change to the original recipe, which happened entirely by accident. Some friends and I had planned to double the recipe to feed a large group of people. We chopped up twice the amount of apples, but forgot to … Continue reading Apple Olive Oil Cake – With Extra Apples

I first read about peach focaccia, a sweet-savory twist on the classic Italian bread, in the New York Times.  I shared the recipe with a friend, and she mentioned that all summer long, she’d been eating sliced peaches sprinkled with goat cheese and basil honey. The combination sounded delicious. So when I adapted the New York … Continue reading Peach, Basil, Honey, and Goat Cheese Focaccia

In my latest Knockturnal post, I shared a recipe for a strawberry galette filled with pecan frangipane. Galettes, hand-shaped pies with origins in France, are one of my favorite ways to showcase summer fruits. I used strawberries when they were in season, but feel free to substitute any summer fruit of your choice. (Peaches, apricots, … Continue reading Whole Wheat Strawberry Pecan Galette

The idea for these delicate, sugar-dusted sandwich cookies came about as I was brainstorming what to do with a pound of fresh apricots sitting on my countertop. I cooked the fruit into a simple jam featuring freshly grated ginger and an unusual ingredient: balsamic vinegar. Fruit preserves typically contain lemon juice, but any acidic ingredient … Continue reading Apricot Ginger Sandwich Cookies

Fresh strawberries and mint are a classic combination. So are chocolate and peppermint. All these flavors come together in a refreshing fruit tart with a peppermint-flavored crust as well as custard filling. Thanks to a high concentration of menthol, peppermint has a stronger flavor than it’s cousin, spearmint, and is used more frequently in desserts. … Continue reading Strawberry Peppermint Tart